The hour has run out for Mutati – Phiri
The Nevers Mumba camp has hit back at allegations from a rival faction that its leader has been clamoring for an audience with President Edgar Lungu, staying time has finally run out for faction leader Felix Mutati “as can be seen by his desperation”.
Deputy spokesperson of the Mumba-led MMD faction Peter Phiri says in a statement circulated this afternoon that the Party has been avoiding to comment on Mutati because they had taken him to Court.
Phiri was responding to a story run by the Zambian Eye in which Chilufya Chishala, a member of the Mutati camp, alleges that Dr Mumba has been secretly trying to set up a meeting with President Lungu in order to discuss the leadership standoff in the troubled former ruling party.
“As the MMD, we have noted the various lies and fake propaganda that Mr. Felix Mutati through his hungry agents have been spreading. As a Party, we have been quite because we respect due process. Mr. Mutati is before the Court to provide answers on who gave him the authority to organize the illegal MMD Convention of 2016. We would like to inform the Nation that through our very clear Witnesses we have place a well coordinated testimony before the High Court. Mr. Mutati remains in no doubt that as an expelled member of MMD he had no authority to organise, attend or even participate in a convention of the Party, late alone be elected as President,” Phiri stated.
“There is even a High Court ruling to that effect, that the National Executive Committee (NEC) is the only Party Organ mandated to organize and call for a Convention.”
Phiri further says no amount of people that Mutati ferries to court will stop the train of truth.
“The court is not a place for political rallies. We are in Court seeking justice and order and once this is ordered, it will be time for rallies across the nation.
“Mr Mutati through this same agent put out a statement alleging that Mutati is the MMD President because he is able to ferry large numbers of people to Court. This is laughable and does not hold any water. If this is the basis of their claim then clearly they missed the train of truth long ago.
“Hiring unemployed youths and women to masquerade as MMD members and escort him to court, at a fee is what most failed leaders do. These women and youth are often heard at the end of the court day asking for money.
“Mr. Mutati should know that even if he hires a million youths to come and sing for him songs at the high court, the train of truth that he isn’t the MMD President will not be stopped,” Phiri charged.
He mocked the former Finance Minister, saying the hour has run out for Mutati as can be seen by his desperation.
“Lastly, we as the MMD would like to trash the hallucinations by Mr. Mutati that Dr. Mumba has been trying to meet Republican President Mr. Edgar Lungu to prevail over the MMD leadership impasse. For the record, Dr Mumba is leader of the MMD and will meet with other political leaders including President Lungu. But such a meeting would never be about the court case. It would be about other national matters. We are completely confident of our chances before the court and we cannot and will never try to fix cases in Court another way. It is an insult by Mutati to both the Republican President and the Judicial Bench to insinuate that they fix cases in such a way.”
“When they had their illegal convention in 2016, the MMD through Dr. Mumba didn’t rush to President Lungu but to the Courts of Law. Why should Dr. Mumba now want to rush to President Lungu when we have already won the MMD Leadership Case in the Constitutional Court. We have been awarded costs at the Supreme Court, at the Constitutional Court and at the High Court. It doesn’t make sense to us. We see this as just terrible case of desperation on Mr. Mutati and those hungry agents who are living off his pocket. To us we can only say that the Hour is finally up for Mutati.”
“Mutati should be reminded that very soon our Lawyers and Bailiffs will be knocking on Mutati and his three co-accused for payment of costs awarded to us. Let him prepare for that rather than waste his little resources travelling to and fro in this country hoping his meetings will give him legitimacy. If they are having problems in their relationship with the PF as Mutati admitted in Luapula that “not all is roses in the bedroom between him and PF” they should not drag Dr. Mumba into it,” Phiri said.